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Timeline (Ad Astra!)
Global Turbulence (2015-2029) 2015 * Eurasian Economic Union (known as the Eurasian Union) is formed between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. * East African Federation formed, uniting Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi into a single federated state. 2016 * Reintroduction of virtual reality into the market, with triple-A title Call of Duty Patriots being released on the Oculus Rift. * The Terrabot, an automated agricultural robot, is released into the market. This is the first of many robots that will phase manual labour jobs previously performed by humans. * Albania is admitted into the EU. * Kyrgyzstan and Tajikstan join the Eurasian Union, which Britain and the US call an infrigenment on the respective country's sovereignty. 2017 * China establishes the first megacity, Greater Guangzhou, with 47 million permanent residents. The metropolis becomes a major tourist attraction. * Somaliland declares independence from Somalia, and Puntland does so the next year. Although a few African nations, including Somalia, aren't willing to recognise their soveriegnty, the majority of the world's countries do, to try and stabilise the region. * The world's first kilometer-high skyscraper, the Kingdom Tower, is unvailed. * Introduction of electronic paper into the market. * The first hotel in space, built by the Russian company Energia, is opened. * A commercial HIV vaccine is released, with 95% 5-year survival rates. 2018 * A universal influenza vaccine and an anti-obesity pill are released this year, as well as the WHO announcing the eradication of polio. * A study shows that 52% of surgery is performed by robots. * A Russian drilling company punctures the Earth's mantle in the Pacific. * NASA's Mars sampling mission is launched. This will pave the way for the planned 2028 manned landing. * The first vertical farm is constructed in San Fransisco. * Armenia joins the Eurasian Union * Kosovo is finally admitted into the EU, after Serbia, and the rest of the Union recognises their independence. 2019 * The Chinese government unvails the first ever manned outpost beyond Luna, situated at Lagrange Point 2. Simply called L2, the outpost was co-built by the Russian and Chinese government. This concerns the western world of the involvement of the east in space affairs, and the growing relationship between Russia and China. * Computers break the exaflop barrier, a quintillion calc/s. * Odyssey, the first commercial bionic eyes, are released. * NASA, reaffirming its dominance in space affairs, launches an asteroid sample mission, with long-term ideas of asteroid mining. 2020 * Beginning of the Global Oil Crisis, which will run into the late 2030's before other alternatives are perfected. * Generation X is shaping global politics, including more long-term based economics, laxer laws on private recreational drug use, gay marriage, prostitution, and euthanasia, with emphasis on the importance of scientific research (esp. space based) and environmental protection. * A cure for malaria is released. * Advancements in commercial longevity expansion makes life expansion by about 40 years technically feasible, although commercial feasibility is expected to be another 20-30 years away. * UHD, Ultra High Definition (4320p) enters the mainstream, but faces competition from the emerging market for holographic television. * NASA's Mars 2020 rovers are launched. 2021 * NASA performs a manned exploration of a near-Earth asteroid. * Average global temperatures have risen by 1 degree Celsius from the 1990's. * ContraMan, the first male contraceptive pills, is released. * The first reusable single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft are produced. This is considered the first edition of the “spaceplane.” * A majority of the global workforce now works from home, with a four day workweek, with each day consisting of 10 hours. * Wireless electricity explodes into the market. * Macedonia and Montenegro are admitted into the EU 2022 * The ITER Experimental Fusion Reactor comes online. * Tengzhou-1, the first Chinese space station, is completed. It has an operational lifetime of ten years. * First nanotech clothing os released, which is water-resistant, extremly durable and difficult to rip. * Australian scientists cure Johnathan Huang, aged 76, of complete deafness, the first to do so. * GAP introduces the first “intelligent advertising,” with help from Samsung. These wall-length screens can identify your face, scan the internet for your personal prefrences, and ask you about choices it deems you might like. While civil rights groups claim this as invasive, the retail industry and technophiles claim a breakthrough in AI. Samsung reasures that the AI does not store presonal information (it is wiped from its memory for extra storage), and cannot access information that the customer has not willing put on the internet. By 2030 almost all shops in first-world countries have these. 2023 * The African Central Bank, the banker for the Africa Union (AU), establishes a pan-African currency, called the Afro. Although not as powerful as other supranational currencies like the Euro, the Afro certainly allows for more economic growth in Africa. Newfound stability is introduced to the increasingly desolate Horn of Africa, when UN and AU-headed talks manage to get Somalia, Somaliland, and Puntland to form a losely-federated Somali Federation. Although this does help development in the region, it does not cool current hostilies. * NASA'S Mars sample and asteroid sample mission both return. * The first laser-driven fusion prototype reactor comes online. * It is revealed that France and Britain are withhalding new desalination technology from Mediterranean countries as blackmail. This is the first of many “water” scandals. 2024 * The Ganges Crisis; millions are killed in the Ganges Delta area, especially throughout Bangladesh, from torrential flooding, the subsequent looting, and a brushfire war between India and Myanmar. * Completion of the Square Kilometer Array. * Hypersonic (Mach 5+) missiles enter military use. 2025 * China launches its first lunar manned mission. Seven Han Chinese are sent up, one tiakonaut, one robotic engineer, and five robotic operators. They stay their for seven months, collecting samples, but mainly building the first lunar base. The base is constructed by robots and drones controlled by the operators. When they leave, a few autonomous drones are left to finish the structure. * The first medical nanaobots are introduced into the medical industry. Although these are only within the human system for a limited amouht of times (unlike latter models), they are effective at targeting cancerous cells and viruses. * Introduction of the first “artificial trees”: Large elevated square fans that sit along highways which capture carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Just like real trees, albeit they are four times as eficent, and six times as fast in process. They see use this year in the M1 highway near London and Route 5 near Los Angeles. * The Dubai City Tower, a proposed 2,400m-tall building for Dubai, is cancelled, due to the economic decline of the UAE, as well as the rest of the Middle East, as oil production and demand starts to significantly drop. Instead of completely retire the project, however, the designers propose the building to be built in another country, and open themselves for bids. Although there are a few lackluster bids from the US and Britain, China takes the winning bid, planning to start construction in Bejing in two years. * 3DOrgan becomes the first company to successfully create a human organ with a 3D printer (a lung) and use it in a successful operation. * Contact with the Voyager probe is lost. 2026 * A new American lunar manned mission is launched, which is praised in America as a “return to the stars.” The astronauts leave behind many supplies for the construction of a base in later trips. It has been 54 years since an American walked on the moon. * The Sagrada Familia is completed. * A new generation of realistic robotic hands enter the market, which rival actual human capabilities. * Two more US lunar missions occur, constructing and suppling their new base. Meanwhile, two Chinses taikonauts are transferred to the Chinese base for a two-year residency, with many more expected to visit during their stay. * The R-1, a railgun, is introduced into the US military. While some praise this as a new way of the defence and enforcement of freedom, others question the continued armament, in America and globally. * Iceland is admitted into the EU. 2027 * A massive bioterrorism attack strikes Rome; a dirty bomb is release half a mile away from the Vatican, inside a subway station. The bomb levels the subway station and the surrounding locale, however the biological agents of the bomb have a far worst effect, with the entirity of Rome being declared off-zone. After a week, at least one million people are declared dead. It is the worst terrorist attack in history. Although the general consensus is that a extrmeist Muslim group (one of the many to become involved in Mediterranean affairs with increased immigration from the Middle East) is suspected, further investigation reveals connections to succesionist and anti-EU groups, who are against the control of Northern Europe in the EU, who are still using it to control the weaker nations (Mediterranean and East European countries). * The Maldives, the lowest lying country in the world at just 1.5 meters above sea level, is fully evacuated. The rising seas has completely engulfed the area, with most of the evacuated residents goin to India, Sri Lanka, and Australia. The Maldives is the first country in history to be destroyed by natural causes. * Turkey's admission into the EU is finally approved, after 5 years of stagnation. This leads to Turkey cancelling its plans to join the Eurasian Union. Many in the country are divided by this as it seems the Eurasian Union is growing while the EU is stagnating. * Completion of the American moon base. Unlike the Chinese base which can hold up to a maiximum of four people, this can hold a maximum of seven. * Hydrogen fuel cell sales reach 1 million annually this year. This is in comparison with biofuel which has a had a 5-year consecutive increase in sales. Although this is putting pressure on cruse oil and petroleum companies, they still continue to gain large profit from the second- and third-world countries, which haven't had a commercial-scale introduction of oil alternatives. * The BRIC's (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) over take the G7 (The US, Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, and Japan) in GDP. * Klaus Greschel, an Austrian skier, becomes the first man to fully regrow a limb (his lower left leg) with the help of medical nanaos and the new “biogel.” 2028 * The International Space Station is decommissioned. It enters the atmosphere just above Papua New Guinea. * Printed electronics (ePaper etc.) are revealed to have overtaken all other electronic hardware (which consists of holoTV's, UHDTV's, and universal consoles) in the market. * The beginning of a 5-year “phasing out” in the US Navy and Air force, which will replace 90% of their manned fighter planes with UAV's. * The United Kingdom's population reaches 70 million. * Finland joins the Eurasian Union, to the dismayal of the other Nordic countries, who plan to form a Nordic union. Uzbekistan also joins later this year. * Serbia is admitted to the EU. 2029 * A study shows at least 80% of all service in retail (checkouts, customer service, warehouse labour etc) in the developed world is automated. * An American space station is built at Lagrange Point 3, to ensure that the Chinese do not Chinese do not have a monopoly on space travel, due to the decommission of the ISS. However, this means the Mars mission is shelved for 2032, which comes under critism. Up to 2035, the NASA budget is increased to appeal to the public. * Dubai City One, now renamed Bejing One after its project relocation, becomes the largest building in the world, surpasing the Azerbaijan Tower, which was the previous record holder, with 1,050m. Bejing One is almost seven times taller than the Empire State Building, and creates 45,000 jobs locally. The Game has Changed (2030-2044) 2030 * The global population reaches 8 billion this year, with urban population reaching 5 billion. Also, India has become the most populous country on the planet. * China and Russia both become the first country to put the a man on Mars. Three men are sent to Mars (two Chinese and one Russian) taking five months to reach the red planet. When deciding who step foot on Mars first, Dmitri Gladivock and Huan Li Cheng decide to step on the red soil together. They stay there for 18 months, taking many samples, many of which includes how terrestial bacteria can survive on Mars, and the habitability of regions. The western world speculates that they are, of course, setting up a base. When asked about their joint venture onto Mars, Dmitri and Huan state that it symolises the untiy of the human race, while the western world scoffs, saying it symbolises the unity of China and Russia. When Lee Wang Shan, the second Chinese taikonaut is asked about being second on Mars, he says “second is better than last.” When also asked about the Chinese base he simple says “you'll have to go up there and look for yourself.” * Spain grants Catalonia independence after decades of petitioning. The worsening immigration crisis is thought to be the deciding factor of this decision. * A global study that spanned 3 years has shown an explosion in use of AI. While it usually lacks personality, it is used in areas where such is not needed; fast food drive-throughs, call centers (which are operated throughout the internet), retail and wholesale, etc. * Web 4.0 enters mainstream, with advanced AI dominating search engines, and internet connections on an invasive scale. * French company Intempéries International (Weathering International) released the Tu9, a weather satellite which can predict weather patterns with 99% accuracy over a two week period. This is the first of many. By 2040, you can go onto the internet and get a reasonable prediction of the weather in three months time. * The European Space Agency (ESA) also conducts its first lunar manned mission and base construction, which has been delayed for at least 3 years thanks to money problems and bureaucracy in Brussels. 2031 * Bangkok Crisis: After a category 5 cyclone rips through the area, most of Bangkok has to be evacuated due to flooding. Doubts are raised whether Thailand can afford to repair the city, and many knew encampments for the evacuated Thai refugees are built with permanent residency in mind. * After multiple trials in Siberia, the Sahara, and Brunei, perennial crops (made through genetic engineering) are finally released into the world commercially. Many health and charity organisations change their campaigns to aim to purchase GM (genetically modified) crops for areas such as Africa and South East Asia, where accelerated climate change is ruining crops. * Nanobots finally enter the commercial market. Although they are almost exclusively for medical purposes, and are rather expensive, they are a one-off purchase and benefit those who purchase them hugely. * After receiving funding from the economically growing Eurasian Union, Russia launches an exclusive manned moon landing. To save money long-term, a large investment is made to establish a Eurasian Union base in the trip also. Only one trip is made, with nine cosmonauts going, constructing the base in three months. * Turkmenistan joins the Eurasian Union. 2032 * China reveals its new space station that replaces Tengzhou-1. Tengzhou-2 is larger and more advanced, and has an operation lifetime of 20-25 years. * IT companies in America introduce commercial terabit internet speeds. * 4th generation nuclear power plants become commercially available, with new stations being built in the UK, the US, and China. However, due to the finite supply of uranium, not as many plants are constructed as expected. * Bosnia and Herzegovina are admitted into the EU. 2033 * Long overdue, the American manned Mars landing is performed. A Chinese base is confirmed, with NASA being surprised at its vastness. It is speculated that automatons have been constructing the base in the Chinese's absence. Work on an American base is started. In addition, the delayed Mars One project commences alongside NASA, with the two working together to establish a permanent residence on Mars. Two astronauts are left at the small base. * Companies such as Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources begin expanding their asteroid mining and surveying from near-earth asteroids (NEAs) to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These projects sell their resources to NASA to help construct their Mars base. China and Russia plan to make a joint venture to beginning their own asteroid mining operation. * Introduction of hypersonic airliners into commercial service. These planes are 150-meters long, are lighter than a Boeing 747, and can travel in excess of Mach 5 (3800 mph). 2034 * In an unexpected move, Switzerland, having been neutral for over a century, has applied to the EU. After global warming had made the Alps devoid of snow, Switzerland lost a majority of its energy income, which was mostly from hydroelectric dams that ran on glacial waters, and tourism, as most ski-fields have been closed or abandoned. Many believe Switzerland is swallowing its pride to be allowed access to the new “supergrid” which is being set up across the European continent. Switzerland is suspected to be admitted in the late 2030's. * An expansion to the Chinese lunar base is completed. Plans to link the Chinese and Russian base are considered. * The Northeastern Megalopolis, which spans from Boston, Massachusetts, to Richmond, Virginia, become the first megacity to reach 100 million. Efforts started in the early 2020's by the US government to unite the area, for example by using high-speed railway connections, and relaxed migration laws between the states. However, this may be soon overtaken, as China is planning to unify the urban areas around Beijing and Tianjin by 2040, to form an megacity known as the Bohai Economic Rim, which could have a population as large as 240 million. * Mongolia joins the Eurasian Union after several years of drought from the expanding Gobi sends the country into crisis. Commentators say it is a matter of months before China joins. * Catalonia is admitted into the EU. * Algae biofuel sales surpass those of oil sales. The Global Oil Crisis is officially called to an end. * Holographic wall screens also surpass sales of UHDTVs. * Quanta, the first commercial quantum computer by Intel, is released. Microsoft (now owned by Amazon) and Apple scramble to release their own. 2035 * China is admitted into the Eurasian Union. This rocks the western world, who are major trade partners with China. USA, who has condemned the Eurasian Union, now has to adhere to their economic influence, as China is still America's No. 1 trading partner. While China's status within the Eurasian Union is as an “observer,” the West rightly assumes there is some backdoor deals happening paving the way for China's integration into the union Alongside the admission, a new transcontinental high-speed railway constructed between Moscow and Beijing, the construction of a connection between the two countries' lunar bases, and the laxation of border security between the two countries. * Mars One, which plans to send 100 people to Mars by 2025, never came to fruition. However, a two year plan to send 350 permanent residents to Mars is approved, with the company pairing up with NASA and SpaceX. * Scotland finally gains independence from Britain after another referendum. * India performs its first manned lunar landing, as well as Bigelow Aerospace beginning construction of the first commercial lunar base. * The introduction of holographic re-creations of dead people available in museums and conferences begins in the US. * Russia becomes the world's number one food producer, as Siberia and other areas are thawed by global warming, and the areas are opened up to farming. Further natural resources that were contained beneath the permafrost are also revealed. 2036 * Bigelow Aerospace's lunar base is completed, becoming the first commercial presence on Luna. * In-vitro meat, meat grown in vats in labs, is experiencing massive growth, as the traditional meat industry fails over growing costs. * Nicholas Frank, aged 85, becomes the first man to be fully cured of Alzheimer's. * BionicIndustry releases the first pair of bionic eyes that surpass human vision. * Detailed probing and mapping of the Kuiper Belt begins, lead by a joint Japanese and American research group. 14 automated solar sail craft are released into the Belt for five years. * The Japanese perform a manned moon mission, their three Uchūnauts staying at the American base. 2037 * The Nordic Federation is created, with administration much like that of the East African Federation. The Federation encompasses Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, and Finland. Finland had to cancel their admittance into the Eurasian Union, which angers Russia. However, the Eurasian Union tries to convince Estonia and Latvia to join the Union. Pressure is also put on Lithuania to join, as well as Ukraine. * Scotland, having been given independence back in 2035, is admitted into the EU, to the complaints of the EU. Scotland also signs up to the Eurozone, as the short-lived Scottish currency was not faring well into the global market. * The US air force reveals their new stealth bomber, the B3. 2038 * Beginning of the Pakistani collapse. A localised recession triggers waves of protests in Pakistan, and by the end of the year, the country has turned into anarchy. A rebel government resides in Balochistan, while local warlords and despots rule over the southern ports. Escalating the situation, India remilitarises Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the Pakistani government doesn't have the influence of power to support the administration of the area. UN peacekeepers are sent into the area, while tensions flare in diplomacy. Many are scared of the nuclear capabilities of Pakistan and India, which could be used. * Switzerland is admitted into the EU. * True full immersion reality, in the form of the online game “Callistonova,” is finally achieved, although there is still more development to proceed if it wishes to rival that of the real world. 2039 * A nuclear bomb is detonated in Tehran. The world goes into crisis mode as tension reach fever pitch. However, the situation is cooled thanks to the Middle East-friendly EU. New governments are voted in (or by coop), ushering in a new wave of peace in the Middle East. However, this does not alleviate the fact that the Middle East has become the poorest region on Earth, surpassing Africa. * On top of that, another political disaster is righted further East. Pakistan collapses into two independent states; Balochistan and Punjab, while Jammu and Kashmir are ceded to India. The Eurasian Union also performs diplomacy to try and ease Indo-Chinese relations. This is done by the confirming of the disputed Indo-Chinese borders. India relinquishes its claim on Aksai Chin, while China relinquishes its claims on India's territories. 2040 * A study reveals that only 14% of manufacturing jobs and other menial labour is performed by humans in the West. The rest is handled by robots. * India becomes an officially recognised superpower, with its growing economy rivaling that of China and the US. India is also allocated a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. * Traditional electronic communication has become obsolete; virtual telepathy, through advances in human/machine integration, and the growing power of the Internet, has become mainstream. * A paper released by a team of German scientists labelled “From Fiction to Fact: The Technological Feasibility of building a Space Elevator” is released. It outlines how advancements in carbon nanotube production now makes the construction of a space elevator technically feasible. However the major hurdle is the cost, which is estimated between 32-41 billion USD. 2041 * By now, global temperatures average 2 degrees Celsius higher than pre-Industrial temperatures. * DirectSpace, NASA, and Bigelow Aerospace start a orbit solar power collection project, estimated to cost 10.8 billion USD. This will set up multiple solar collection satellites around Earth, which will beam down the electricity to specialised stations in the US. Japan plans to do the same, on a smaller scale. 2042 * The global population reaches nine billion. * Establishment of a lunar city, Franklin, built on the dark side edge of the Sea of Tranquility. The venture is largely corporate, though NASA and the ESA do take part in the construction. * The last veteran of World War Two passes away. 2043 * Creation of the Bharat Accord, headed by India and featuring the two Pakistani states, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. The co-operation within the region was finally achieved through the collapse of Pakistan, India’s main rival. The other prime contributing factor was to more easily co-ordinate the extreme refugee crisis occurring in Bangladesh and along the Ganges Delta. Northern India, Afghanistan, and Iran all receive massive boosts in their populations due to refugee relocation through the Accord. * India's GDP passes Japan, becoming 3rd in the world, behind China and the US. * After test trailing the social security proposal in parts of Finland, the Nordic Federation nationalises basic income, which entitles every citizen an unconditional income. While the EU, India, and some African nations begin plans of implementing their own system, conservatives around the world, especially those from Russia, USA, and the UK, cry foul. * Partition of Italy; the northern Padonian Federation stays with the EU, while the southern Republic of Sicily leave the Union. 2044 * Feeling threatened by the Eurasian Union, who is flexing its muscles, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania form the Baltic Union, not unsimilar from the Nordic Federation. * The Universo Bridge is completed over the Gulf of Uraba in Panama, finally connecting the entirety of the world by road and rail. * Nigeria overtakes the US to become the world's third most populous nation. Nigeria recently exceeded 392 million, while the US sits at 391.6 million. A Shift in Perspective (2045-2064) 2045 * Iran conducts a manned moon mission, the first of Iran's many manned space programs. Iran is beginning to become an international power, already the leading regional power in the Middle East. * The US state of Nevada become the first place to allow cars to travel up to 100 mph on some highways, thanks the the improvement of self-driving AI and saftey features within the car. This is the first of many states and countries to do so. * The Japanese orbital solar collection project is started. * Riots in the Andalusia region in Spain, which want independence like Catalonia, or at least more autonomy start up, after an immigrant terrorist group destroys an airport food court in Granada. This brings to light once again the worsening immigration crises occurring in the Mediterranean, as literally tens of millions of people flee North Africa and the Middle East, the poorest and most unstable regions in the world. After the pro-autonomy party Nueva Iberia wins a majority that year, plans are put forth for the reorganisation of Spain into a federation of autonomous regions. Plans take many years to go through the legal processes 2046 * Beginning of the Chinese Democratisation. At the advice of the Eurasian Union, China opens dialogue with Taiwan (Rep. of China) about unification and democratisation of their union. Taiwan agrees with open arms, and plans are put forth. Celebration is held all over China. Secretly, the Eurasian Union hopes this will serve as an example to the two Koreas, who they hope to unify and allow into the Union. * It has been five consecutive years where no one globally has died in a aircraft accident 2047 * The Democratic Republic of China and the Republic of China form the Federation of China. A complete reworking of administration, legislation and executive power leads to a more federated nation. Xinjiang is admitted autonomy, while Tibet, reluctantly, is given independence. Tibet joins the newly formed Bharat Accord, which the US condemns. The US says that Tibet has gone from one oppressive overlord to another. However, the weak power base of Tibet, and the oppressive influence of Eurasia made Tibet turn to the security of India. * The Chinese and British unvail their new fully-autonomous aircraft, which enter their respective military services. 2048 * Start of the Ukrainian Civil War. Decades-old tension flare up again when it is revealed the local government in Crimea, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia have been secretly talking with Russia about pushing Eurasian Union admission in Kiev. anti-Russian and pro-EU protests flare up, which triggers are violent reactionary response from pro-Russian supporters. The autonomous Crimea once again breaks away from Ukraine, and in an unexpected move, the Eastern territories of Ukraine do to. Mass immigration occurs as anti-Russians travel west and pro-Russians travel east. The ceded eastern territories create a parliament in Sevastopol and form the Republic of East Ukraine. East Ukraine immediately asks for admission into the Eurasian Union, which is granted. While most of Europe and Ukraine won't recognise East Ukraine, the entirety of the Eurasian Union, the Indian sphere, and most Africa do. This creates conflict in the UN, as debate rages as a ceasefire is implemented. * CyroFirst, a startup company, offers extremely expensive reversible biostatis, to first to do so commercially. This can halt aging up to 35 years. 2049 * Tensions flare as the dissolution of the European Union is called upon by Britain, Poland and southern Italy. This is due to the massive stress put on the European countries by Muslim immigrants from the devastated Middle East and Northern Africa. It seems that the EU is about to fracture, but a last-minute consensus is called. Two referendums are performed. The first, a EU-wide public referendum, offering multiple options from federalisation, dissolution, more sovereignty, merging with the Eurasian Union. The second, one held in Brussels at the European Parliament. The Brussels vote shows a 78% majority in keeping the EU, as well as 69% in the public vote saying the EU should still remain. Also, out of the 31% left, 81% said that the politics of the EU didn't concern them. Also, many of the Muslim immigrants wanted a more unified EU to support them. After the referendum, major immigration reforms are introduced, including tighter restrictions and country quotas to distribute extras. Less seriously considered is the question of federalisation, forming the EU into a single sovereign state. While countries such as France, Germany, Greece, and Spain agree with the idea, those opposed are the UK, the Nordic Federation, Poland, and Turkey, among others. This becomes the center of debate for many years. * While the collapse of the EU is averted, the global market took the turn for the worst as the Euro's existence remained on shaky ground. This becomes the worst economic crash to date, currencies such as the Eurasian Dollar, US Dollar, and the New Zealand Dollar, who are major trading partners with the EU, suffer major losses. 2050 * Post-capitalism is starting to take hold, especially in devastated areas, such as the Middle East, South America, the Mediterranean, Africa, and South-East Asia. Fears in the developed world that communism/socialism may once again arise from desperate times. * After two years of preparation, the African Union (AU) is federalised into a single sovereign federation. The federation was created to help coordinate projects that combat the devastating effects of global warming in the area. Also a high priority is a more centralised control on population, which has ballooned to 2.4 billion, more than double that in 2000. The first presidential campaign for the first President of Africa is started in Addis Ababa. * India surpasses the USA in GDP, ranking number two behind China. * Smaller, safer, hi-tech automobiles are entering the market. They usually only hold two people at maximum, and many countries allow cars to now travel at speeds in excess of 100 mph. * Boeing releases the 802, a hypersonic airliner that can reach anywhere in the world in under three hours. The plane also features the latest in comfort, including a bar and restaurant, two spas, and a virtual sports arena. 2051 * The United Nations, while rather reserved lately from politics other than peacekeeping, announces a new bill that see the construction of a global ground-based laser array that will direct space junk to burn up in the atmosphere. Along side this is stricter deorbit measures and more emphasis on recycling old space modules and satellites. This the long over-due reaction the global public has been waiting for, with commercial and scientific groups complaining about the dangers of a “clogged aerospace.” This issue was brought to light in a recent disaster where a Airbus A450 spaceplane was hit by a defunct satellite receiver in the wing at Mach 5.2. The wing tore up and the plane plunged into the Indian ocean, killing all 506 on board. * A “sub-union” is set up for the countries of the Mediterranean, who are facing harsh treatment from desertification, Muslim immigrants, and refugees. This Mediterranean Council features its own parliament, and separate budgets and departments from the EU. The double treatment from both the EU and the MediCon helps stabilise the area to a degree. 2052 * Although confirmed globally, one of the many inhabitable exoplanets that have been discovered (of which there are thousands) is revealed under the scrutiny of a new Austrian-French space-based telescope. The planet, simply named Nova at the moment, becomes the talk of the year, as images of its yellow-brown continents and blue seas circulate the internet. A surge in telescope production begins, of which have increased by a factor of 100,000 since 2010, which starts a new search for close up images of exoplanets. 2053 * Spain becomes a federation, ending over 650 years of Spanish history. The Iberian Federation is made up of 5 autonomous territories; Galicia, Basque Country, Leon, Castille, and Andalusia. Portugal and Catalonia join as observer states. * Raj Hajumban, owner of India's largest IT company, IndusTech, becomes the world's first trillionaire. * Ukraine is admitted into the EU. * The first commercial fusion reactor, called Prometheus-1, is unveiled in Germany. 2054 * China finally transitions over to democracy. This leads to an increase in the value of the local currency, the Eurasian Dollar, as speculation increases. * The first of the UN-proposed ground-based lasers is completed in Algeria. 2055 * By now, asteroid mining has become a massive industry, with swarms of automated probes and nanobots prospecting and mining the Asteroid Belt. Rather than flooding the markets with these new materials, and destroying the world economy, the owners of these vast materials (which mainly consists of Eurasia, the US, and four major asteroid mining companies) regulate the flow of their metals. Countries with these materials usually use the metals directly in civic projects, or with the gold put it straight into the reserves. * Beginning of the construction of a Martian City by the Eurasian Union, called Ares. The city is projected to be able to hold 15,000 permanent residents. The construction of a martian space elevator is also discussed in UN talks. * The global population reaches ten billion, but begins to plateau; the US population has reached 450 million. 2056 * By now, global temperatures have risen by three degrees Celsius since the 1990's. * PocketScan, the first handheld MRI scanner, enters the commercial market, although the product is mostly bought wholesale by medical centers. 2057 * The 100th UN ground-based laser is built in Panama. By now, the lasers have been operating constantly for three years, and a major decrease in space junk is reported. The number of further planned lasers is dropped from 65 to 20. * Republic of Sicily joins the EU. 2058 * China final joins the Eurasian Union as a full member. China and Russia now jointly head the Union as one of the compromises that China wanted. China has now adopted the Eurasian ruble as the renminbi has stagnated throughout the past two decades. This finally cements the Sino-Russian relationship and calms the increasingly desperate situation in Central Asia, where a joint Chinese-Russian effort helps stabilise the region. * NASA builds a new radio telescope on the surface of the Moon which spans 105 meters. * The official end of the oil age. Environmentalists everywhere rejoice. 2059 * The completion of the Martian city Ares, which currently holds 1400 residents, 300 permanent. By now, a clear division can be seen; the US reside over Luna, Eurasia over Mars, and the corporations over the Asteroid belt. It seems that the US have a “what's rightfully ours” sentiment about the Moon, while Eurasia has a “where the West can't get us” sentiment about Mars. 2060 * By 2060, the geopolitcal and economic system is undergoing a collapse and rebirth. Corporations disappear overnight, and the capitalist way seems to be collapse under its own weight. Countries such as the UK, New Zealand, and Japan have isolated themselves completely, to become self-sufficient. Some countries have reached 100% recycling, such as the Nordic Federation, completely eliminating waste. Most governments have begun to take over important industries, such as energy, transport. While Greens and Social Democrats storm the polls, they also do so in the UN parliament. Almost all proposed plans now involve curbing or reversing the effects of carbon emissions. Some of the larger companies have come together to keep themselves afloat. These “supernationals” (derived from “multinationals”) include the internet giant Amazon-Google, hardware company Apple-IBM, and space titan Boeing-Shanzu. * By 2060, climate change wrecks havoc on the planet. Foret fires rage in southern France and the central USA, hurricanes are commonplace in the Mediterranean, with some reaching a ruined Venice. Traditional hurricanes found at tropical latitudes are far worse: now called “superhurricanes,” these current hurricanes are ten times bigger and more devestating than those of Hurricanr Katrina. By now, at least half of the cities lining the US southern coast have been evacuated. Flooding of the Mississipi brings floods to Memphis regularly. Heat waves rock Europe, with temperatures below the 45th parallel regularly reaching 40 degress Celsius in the summertime. Deserts such as the Sahara and Gobi are now advancing at extreme rates, and projects such as the Green Wall of China and the Congo Basin Wall have even more resources directed towards them, to try and stop the desert's advance. The Indian subcontinent and South East Asia are flooded almost constantly by excessive monsoons, and massive refugee crises' cripple the area. Massive replantation programmes are occurring in areas such as the deforested Amazon or the scorched Congo Basin. Every week a stronger and more resilient GM plant type is created, which are genetically modified to withstand these extremes of climate. * NASA starts Helium-3 mining on the Moon, using leftover equipment from Bigelow Aerospace, which the US recently purchased. 2061 * After the remnents of a Mediterranean hurricane travel up past Nantes, a massive sea surge floods the entirety of the southern coast of England. Further damage occurs to London as the massive volume of water causes the Thames Barriers to fail, flooding the central districts of the city. At least 35,000 are killed. The ancient Barriers are finally upgraded to receive the current battering that storms deliver. Also, the central planning of London is reorganised following cleanup, and more efficient systems are also implemented. * The UK reaches 80 million, compared to 72 million in France, 71 million in Germany, and 52 million in Spain. * Canada is officially classed as a superpower. Like Russia, Canada's position let it receive the leaser effects of global warming, and immigration of skilled workers has vitalised the economy. 2062 * The Korean Unification. Kim Jong Un finally steps down after 51 years of dictatorial rule. North Korea, which has been isolated for 114 years has fallen so behind world technology, politics, and culture, that they still use cellphones, and holographic television is only found in officials' residence. Mass celebrations are held worldwide as the world's longest dictatorship ends. Pictures and videos of North and South Koreans being united at the 34th parallel circulate all around the globe for years to come. The unification constitution is fleshed out throughout the Eurasian Union. However, conflict arises when China and South Korea want North Korea to be under complete Southern rule, as an occupied territory, while North Korea and Russia want North and South to be equally united as a Republic. Compromise is meet with a 20-year plan for direct Southern rule to develop the North. When the North is fully developed to current standards then a new constitution will be written up, fully unifying the two countries. 2063 * After an 11-year discussion and planning stage, a space elevator is finally agreed to be built in Ecuador. The entirety of the project costs $22 billion, with the elevator itself costing $14 billion. * After the devastating effects of Hurricane Tyler, flood barriers are commissioned in New York City. 2064 * The UN releases a report that states the global literacy rate has fallen below one percent. * The first longevity treatments that can halt aging become commercially available. * As accelerated climate change wrecks the world, most insurance companies are nationalized by governments to stop them from bankrupting, which would then cause an economic collapse. Insurance companies were almost always on the brink of collapse millions of claims of environmental disasters, which have increased ten-fold since the beginning of the century. The Shackles of Gravity Are Gone (2065-2089) 2065 * By now, almost all construction uses nanotech swarms, which takes the raw materials and then builds the construction unassissted. This process will take a week at most. * Introduction of the first generation invisibility suits, by the US Army, which bend light around the wearer through advance nanoprisms embedded in the fabric. 2066 * The ESA reveals a major advancement in space exploration; an antimatter drive-equipped spacecraft. The craft, nicknamed Hyper, takes only four months to reach Jupiter on 1.16 grams of antiprotons. Europe prides itself on the construction, which highlights the ESA onto the center stage. The blueprints of the engine are immediately sold to NASA and the Eurasian Space Community for exuberant prices. 2068 * The Nordic Federation is officially classed a superpower. 2069 * 100th anniversary of the first Moon landing, mass celebrations all over Luna. * The US population reaches 500 million 2070 * By now, average global temperatures have risen 4 degrees Celsius since the 1990's. * By now, there are around 612 fusion plants worldwide, with the three countries with the most being China (64), then the US (61), and India (53). Russia and Brazil follow close behind with 49 and 47 respectively. * The new decade begins with the expansion of the NASA lunar bases. 2072 * The Eurasian Union finally brings to the table at a UN Space Development meeting what many have been waiting for years: the terraformation of Mars. With so many of their space assets having been invested into the planet, and the general admission of Eurasian leadership by the other countries (even the US, reluctantly), and the potential for development, many knew their decision to terraform the planet had been on their minds at least since the 2040's. The only real opposition voiced is the local “Reds,” who wish to keep the planet as it is, as they have an almost spiritual connection to the planets mystique. However, this minority is quickly subverted due their impracticality. The real issue, after a majority on terraforming is reached, is the exact handling of the terraformation, the timeline of the event, and anti-monolopisation laws placed on Eurasia and everyone else to prevent the blackmailing of the terraformation process like water was used in the mid-21st century. The terraformation is expected to take 300 years before purely biological humans can inhabit its surface. 2073 * The Boston-Washington Hypertrain Line is opened, which contains the world's first commercial vacuum train, usually called vactrains. The trainline is sealed in a vacuumed tunnel, so that air resistance does not affect this superpowered train at all. This first generation of vactrains can reach speeds of up to 6400 km/h. 2074 * The World Bank issues the world's first global currency, the Terra. This currency is legal tender everywhere and eliminates inflation. The first to adopt the currency is Burkina Faso. * The Green Wall of China is completed. The 4800 km-long line of forest slows and stops the advancement of the Gobi desert, protecting Beijing and China's other northeastern cities from turning out like Dubai. 2075 * The first space elevator, based in Ecuador, is finished after a 13 year construction. This creates an unprecedented explosion in growth in extraplanetary construction and population, with the cost of sending a kilogram into space reduced to 1/1000th of its original cost. * By now, the ozone layer has fully recovered. 2079 * Construction of a second space elevator, based in Kenya, is approved by the UN, and construction is started immediately. 2080 * By now more than 30% of humans are more non-biological than biological. * The GDP scale is dropped as way of measuring a countries wealth, due to its capitalist-centric measurements. The new scale, called the Unified Development Index (UDI), takes into account human resource, environmental impact, social development, and many other contemporary measurements into account. 2081 * Tensions over the Mexican-US border as Mexicans in the south-western states, now with the backing of Mexico, a now-regional power, petition for the ceding of predominantly Mexican states to Mexico. 2082 * After much debate, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are ceded to Mexico. 2083 * After 21 years, North Korea is finally given back its regional power by democratically elected officials. North and South Korea convene in Seoul to write a new Korean constitution. Currency, the capital, and social policies are amongst the vast artange of things debated and modified. After two months, the new constitution is completed. The Federal Republic of Unified Korea is born, known now as just Korea. Korea joins the Eurasian Union as an observer. Plans to fully join are put forth. * Due to Moore's Law, $1000 of computing power is now equivalent to a billion Earth's worth of human brains. 2084 * Androids are conscripted into law enforcement for the first time, in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan. Contrary to popular hype, the robots still obey Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. 2085 * By now, most nations have adopted the world currency, the Terra. The last to do so is the US and Brazil (2086), Britain (2087), and India (2089). * A joint NASA-ESA manned exploration of the Jovian system is started. The three year project uses the latest antimatter-powered spaceships as transportation. 2087 * Beginning of the Martian space elevator, which will help with the transport of materials, especially those used in colonisation and development, down to the surface. 2088 * The return of the manned Jovian mission, which included the orbiting of Jupiter, and landing on all four of the Galilean moons; Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Stretching the Boundaries (2090-2109) 2090 * By now, most of the major cities in the northern hemisphere are interconnected by vactrain. * Completion of the Kenyan space elevator. * The Pacific Forum, which now encompasses Australia, New Zealand, and all independent states of the South and North Pacific, creates the Bank of Oceania, which unifies the supranational organinsation economically under one currency, the Pacific Dollar. These are the first steps towards the federalisation of the Forum into a single sovereign union. 2092 * Luna receives its 1,000,000th citizen. Earth's moon has become the most populous extraterrestrial colony, trailing far infront of the stagnant Mars (234,000), and the expanding Belt colonies (53,000). Most of these citizens are scientists, political or economic refugees, or exiles (criminal or otherwise). 2094 * Beginning of the Saturnian mission, which also lands robot probes on the surface of Titan. * Federalisation of the ASEAN, which has been devastated by the past six decade's of climate. * Completion of the Martian space elevator. 2095 * By now, most of the world's languages have died out, with English, Mandarin and Spanish becoming the lingua franca's of the world. Although, these languages have transformed largely since a century ago. There is also popularity gaining for the revised Lojban language, which combines all Earth's most used languages. 2097 * Completion of a ocean-bound space elevator along the Equator in the Indian Ocean, where the now-defunct Maldives use to be. The elevator was constructed solely by the superpower India and the regional power of the East African Ferderation. The space elevator allows India to capitalise on the development of space, by sending up specialists to advance India's colonies on Mars and the Belt. The East African Federation uses their involvement in the construction of the elevator to send up colonists, a long-term plan to ease Africa's burgeoning population of 2.6 billion. Most colonists are sent to Mars, a bonus being that most of the colonists are used to living in a hostile environment. Eventually the African ethnicity becomes the majority on Mars, even out-populating the original Eurasians. 2098 * Yemen becomes the last country to build a fusion reactor. This symbolises not only the extent of advanced technology, but the effort to shorten the technological, economic and cultural gap between countries. 2099 * By the end of the century, the sea level has risen almost two meters. * By the end of the century, the average employ works 20 hours/week. 2100 * Beginning of the Great Divide. As man and machine merge, the former's intelligence is expanded vastly. The ability to take on information is also simplified greatly, with skills such as driving a car, or learning asport, can take a matter of seconds. However, these abilities can only be achieved through an extensive use of implants – which a significant minority of the global population still refuses to do. As time and technology progress, this minority is left behind intellectually. Comprehending and using technology is severely limited, and news and culture appears to take off without them. This is creating a major division in the newly-formed global society. 2102 * A space elevator is completed in Borneo. 2105 * The first use of a nanotech lubricant, mass produced on a macro scale to allow human control of earthquakes and tsunamis, is trailed in situ, in California.The lubricant, nicknamed “earthlube,” is injected into man-made channels penetrating deep into the San Andreas fault. The lubricant then allows the tectonic plates to slide over each other more easily, reducing the size of earthquakes and consequent tsunamis; a magnitude 8 earthquake can be reduced to a magnitude 4. In California, a magnitude 6.4 is reduced to two magnitude 2.9 earthquakes, two days apart from each other. The test's success is praised as a major hurdle conquered by the scientific and geological communities. This method is in no means perfect, but is a significant stepping stone into allowing humans to take control of their environment. Unification (2110-2154) 2119 * The Australasian Federation is formed between Australia and New Zealand. Despite New Zealand's isolation, the recent rise of supranational entities federalising (EU, AU, ASEAN), and the preprations for the federalisation of the Pacific Islands Forum, the union between between the two nations is formed to maximise the potential of the supranation creation. * The first generation of personal force fields are introduced in the US Army. The outer layer consists of a supercharged plasma window, shaped into a dome or sphere by electromagnetic fields. This is hot enough to vaporize most incoming metals.A secondary layer underneath contains millions of curved laser beams, producing a high-energy web that captures projectiles fast or powerful enough to bypass the plasma window.A third layer consists of a "lattice" made from trillions of carbon nanotubes. These microscopic structures are woven together in an instant, forming a diamond-hard shell repelling objects missed by the other two layers. Force fields are also being used on borders, to protect food and water supplies, on space bases, and on satellites. 2120 * After almost 100 years of campaigning, the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly is founded. This house features UN parliament members to be directly voted in by individual citizens of UN member states. This is seen as a major breakthrough for federalists, who wish to establish a world government. The founding of the Parliament Assembly, and the rise of supranational unions has led to the increased popularity of a “world government.” * Beginning of a large-scale expansion of the Moon bases and residencies. Although constantly growing to accommodate new citizens, the advent of space elevators has led to a leap in population influx. The expansion is said to hold four million extra lunar citizens, quadrupling its current population. 2124 * The Galileo Extraplanetary Exploration Mission, a joint venture between NASA and ESA, with infrastructure support from the IRSO (Indian Space Research Organisation), sends an interstellar probe to Proxima Centauri at a speed of 0.12c (12% the speed of light). The Galileo probe will make a stop off in the system approximately 33 years from now, take high-res photos and conduct long range scans of any planets present in the system. From there the results will be beamed back by radio laser back to Earth. The probe plans to also visit Alpha Centauri, Ross 154, Tau Ceti, and Epsilon Eridani. 2134 * A NAFTA conference puts fourth a 10-year plan to merge Canada, the US, and Mexico into the North American Union. The supranational union will finally bring all nations under one union or another. It is expected that plans for a world government will soon be drafted by the newly-revitalised UN. 2143 * NAFTA is transformed into the North American Union. The second-rate country of the US is joined with the international powers of Canada and Mexico, bringing it back into the center stage, after it left in the middle of the 21st Century. The climate-change ravaged country is now federalised with the economic power of Mexico and the climate-steady Canada to form one of the most powerful unions on the planet. 2147 * Mars receives its one millionth citizen this year. This is from increased migration from Africa, and previous Martian immigrants having children. Humanity's population has begun to increase again as the eco-technic society that has been built is finally having its effects felt. This population is compared to Luna's (1.3 million and the still-expanding population of the Belt (492,000). 2150 * After seven years of convincing all sovereign nations on Earth to sign the charter, a global government is finally instituted. The Union of Sovereign Earth Nations, known as “United Earth,” replaces the UN as the global governing body. While more like the EU than the UN, United Earth (UE) still permits reasonable autonomy for nations, with United Earth holding a common charter, currency, and institutions over all Earth nations. The creation of United Earth formalises the end of ethnic and national differences. The colonies of Mars and Luna come under UE jurisdiction. However, a short legal battle ends in the Belt colonies and their protectorates the Jovian stations become independent. They become the Belt Alliance, though some UE stations still remain with the UE. Diversification of Humanity (2155-2179) 2160 * Extinctions around the world are beginning to level off. Plans are initiated by the UE Ecological Foundation to rewilder the world to try to return its climate and ecology to pre-Industrial levels. 2161 *The first images and readouts of the Proxima Centauri system come in from the Galileo probe, having taken almost four years to travel from Proxima to Earth. Two planets are confirmed, a large Mecury-analogue, and a sub-zero Mars-like planet covered in silicon deserts and frozen ammonia. 2168 * Cheng Fu-Lang, born in Shanghai on January 2nd 1968 becomes the world's first bicentenarian, having lived 200 years. The advancement of rejuvenation, anti-aging and age reversal treatments allow those born in the late 1960's onward to live indefinitely. 2171 * The first commercial antimatter power plant goes online in Delhi, India. Restricted to test experiments on Belt colonies and in starships, antimatter containment has been passed on Earth for commercial use as safe. Antimatter is 300 times more powerful than the previous century's fusion technology. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Economic_Union http://www.futuretimeline.net http://imgur.com/2N8dG http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/07/mars http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=201 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmenistan Category:Scenario: Ad Astra! Category:Timeline Category:Politics Category:Outdated Articles